Trypan blue capsular staining to "find" the leading edge of a "lost" capsulorhexis.

Abstract

To describe an effective surgical technique to visualize an obscured leading edge of a capsulorhexis. Prospective, interventional case series. In six eyes of six patients in which the capsulorhexis was started but could no longer be seen during surgery, the anterior chamber was irrigated to remove all viscoelastic, and 0.3-ml trypan blue 0.06% was applied onto the anterior lens capsule to stain and visualize the leading edge of the capsulorhexis. In all patients, the leading edge of the capsulorhexis was quickly visualized by using the dye. No adverse reactions were observed up to 1 year after surgery. Trypan blue staining of the anterior lens capsule is an effective and apparently safe technique to "find" a "lost" capsulorhexis during surgery.